Happy Tuesday! Did not mean to make this another Sridevi week, I was looking for something intelligent and intense and on youtube with subtitles, and I landed on this film. And then later learned it was Sridevi’s second major role.
This was the movie that I picked to download to my phone for my long day of travel, and I have no regrets! It was very very very pleasant. And a little interesting. But not super interesting.
Moondram Pillai, so far as I can tell, does not exist with subtitles. So instead I ended up with Sadma with poor subtitles. A challenge for my Hindi skills! Luckily, most of the performance brilliance was in the non-verbal parts.
I finally watched it! Partly for Maddy, partly for my beloved Amit Sadh (if you like him in this, WATCH RUNNING SHAADI!). They were both good. And I am putting it up as a “Tuesday Tamil”, even though it is in Hindi, because really we are all watching if for Maddy mostly, and he is a Tamil industry guy. (part 2 here)
My company is switching payment systems blah blah blah, the end result is that I have to reenter and check data for 400 separate accounts. It’s very dull, but at the same time I have to stay focused and make sure I am accurate. So I am pulling out the super super good extra best songs play list that will keep me happy and energized. The songs I save as a special treat for when I really need a mood lifter.
What a fascinating movie! First, it was released in theaters and online almost simultaneously, which I always find fascinating. And second, it was really really good!
I’m back to K. Balachander! He is just so great. And available on Rajshri Tamil on youtube. And I have also now seen a Gemini Ganesan movie! Which was super distracting, because it was kind of a little bit about his real life and I have no idea if that was on purpose or not. Was his real life situation with multiple wives so well known that it would make sense to bring that into one of his movies?
This was fascinating! Started out a typical police film, and then somewhere it turned into an interesting discussion of crime, regionalism, caste, and all kinds of neat things like that. A lot of it being the same things that Aamir’s big ridiculous Thugs of Hindostan is about to cover, but in modern day instead of colonial times.
Can I cackle with glee at being correct, while still being depressed that the box office hasn’t sprung back? I think I can! Especially because the box office is bright depending on where you look.
Sorry, this is going to be a lot of me-me-me, but it will also be a little bit of a discussion of the responsibility of public writing and education and stuff. So that will be fun! Oh, and it will answer a question that a lot of people have been asking me lately.
I really have to update my Netflix list! Kabali was just added, and that is definitely a MUST WATCH. In the meantime, I will just re-post the review I put up after I saw it in theaters. And also because no one is commenting or reading right now (especially Tamil/Telugu reviews), so I have lost the will to write anything new.
I already put up my “no spoilers” review, this is the SPOILERS version. For people who have already seen it, or can’t see it in theaters but want to know what it is like. Or just want to know how it was without spending 2 hours of their lives on the film. Because, although I want to tell you all to buy tickets and support Nivin, I really can’t in good conscience recommend that. It’s not the best use of your time.
Huh. Well, this just barely didn’t work. All the separate parts worked, but they somehow didn’t come together in a way that made for optimal impact. I think I might have to blame the director.
This movie is so good that it tricked me into thinking it was a Balachander. But no, apparently this was the level of camerawork, characters, and acting that was just standard back then!!! Oh, and Kamal Haasan and Rajni Sir are super fun to watch opposite each other in their youth, that’s another plus. The plot is not quite perfect, but it’s still pretty darn good. No Moodru Mudichu, but that’s a very high level to set.
This is a strange review, because it’s a beautiful movie with a lot of strong elements that somehow fails to come together. But then on the other hand, the only version I was able to find was for some reason missing 8 or 20 minutes (depending on which source I see), so it’s possible it would have come together if I had seen the full version. But I still kind of doubt it somehow. It’s just an odd odd plot, a strange combination of Agneepath and Thalapathi and “Joote Bole” from Bobby expanded to full film length. And also Christian philosophy which is never quite defined.
Two big Tamil trailers came out today (say that ten times fast!). I am slightly more excited about one than the other, because it is a slightly better edited trailer and also has Nivin Pauly. But the other one is pretty darn good too. Most of all, they are both challenges to the Hindi dominance of everything.
I am finally on schedule again! Ha-Ha!!!! And if I manage to watch and write over the Thanksgiving break (along with re-organizing my kitchen), I might actually get ahead! I could start 2018 with all my decks clear, fully blog-ready! Or I will get super behind and put up a bunch of reposted posts and almost forget Salman’s birthday again. Oh well, it’s his own fault for being born the day after Christmas.
I’m back! For the SPOILER review. Which I am much less excited about than the other one, where I got to talk about the little political speeches dropped in.
This was such an exhausting weekend. I saw Nivin’s new movie on Friday, then this on Saturday, then ran around for 9 hours on Sunday. I’m so glad that all I have this week is Ittefaq. Although I did enjoy this movie, and Nivin’s movie, it’s just a lot to squeeze in.
Okay, let’s do this! Tuesday Tamil! Actually on Tuesday! My box office post is still going to be late this week, but at least everything else will be back on track. Plus, I am excited to talk about plot details for this movie. (no spoiler review went up earlier today)
Accessbollywood.net does the real work of keeping this list updated, you should definitely absolutely subscribe to them for your day to day updates. Accessbollywood also includes more things than my list, I limit it to mainstream releases, no TV films or super art films. Plus, my update is only when I feel like it and have time. Extra time, since I’m not just listing, I’m also describing and giving suggestions on what to watch.
Okay, Asmita in the comments suggested this, but I am a little nervous about it. Because I really really don’t know as much as I should about the non-Hindi industries. And I know SO MUCH about Hindi that I am going to have a hard time limiting myself. But we will see how it goes. Oh, and after you watch all of these, you can just put something in the comments if you want more recommendations based on your favorites, I would LOVE to do that. But this is just the start, I have so much more knowledge to give.
If you are an Austen person, and somehow have not seen this movie yet, FIX THAT!!! It is one of the all time great Austen adaptations, perfectly captures the spirit of the original while moving it to a modern setting. Plus AR Rahman songs.
Well, I saw another new Tamil movie in theaters! Kabali, Vikram-Vedha, and now this. So, 66.6666% of all Tamil films I see in theaters start with “V”. And another 66.66666% involve relatives of Aishwarya Rajnikanth. And 100% of them involve me arriving at the last minute and missing the trailers. Oh well.
dontcallitbollywood 